HOT TOPICS:

Minnesota roadways see deadliest weekend of year; 3 family members killed in I-94 crash

By Andy Grederagreder@pioneerpress.com

Posted:
04/08/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
04/08/2013 11:20:27 PM CDT

Eight traffic deaths made last weekend the deadliest yet on Minnesota roads in 2013.

The toll includes three people thrown from a minivan that rolled on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis on Sunday, April 7.

Seat belts might have made a difference in the I-94 crash, said Lt. Eric Roeske, spokesman with the Minnesota State Patrol.

"This is a tragic situation, and our hearts go out to those that lost loved ones, but the fact can't be ignored that if seat belts had been worn, this could have ended in a different result -- obviously, not the ejections and most likely not fatal injuries," Roeske said.

Killed were two women, ages 44 and 80, and a 16-year-old boy, the State Patrol said. Their identities will be released by the Hennepin County medical examiner.

However, KSTP-TV reported Monday that family members identified them as Modupe Olabisi, 80, her daughter Olawumi Barbington, 44, and her grandson Oluwaseun Barbington, 16.

A fourth passenger survived being thrown from the minivan, the State Patrol said. Those injured in the crash were the driver, Akinbowale Barbington, 51; Oluremi Ayodele Ogundare, 61; Fisayo Abigail Barbington, 15; Faith Barbington, 12; and Tobi Barbington, 5, the State Patrol said. All are expected to recover.

They were traveling in a 2000 Toyota Sienna that was totaled after crossing four lanes of traffic, rolling several times and then crashing into the median in North Minneapolis, the State Patrol said.

Four of the injured were taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale.

Advertisement

Three were listed in critical condition Sunday night, and the fourth was in serious condition, the hospital said. The fifth was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center; that person's condition was not known, the State Patrol said.

The crash is under investigation, but Roeske said a Jeep Patriot and a Honda Odyssey collided while traveling north about 1 p.m. The Jeep, driven by Casie Pawlik, 18, of Brooklyn Park, went up the grassy embankment on the 49th Avenue North exit and smashed through a chain-link fence and over a sidewalk. The Honda, driven by Roni Oberuomo, 38, of Brooklyn Center, went onto the right shoulder and attempted to re-enter traffic, hitting the Toyota, the State Patrol said.

Oberuomo and a passenger in the Honda and Pawlik in the Jeep were uninjured, the patrol said.

The patrol said the vehicles were traveling at normal freeway speeds, and it didn't appear alcohol was a factor. The patrol did not detail the type of impact between the vehicles.

The accident closed I-94 for about three hours.

OTHER ACCIDENTS

Minnesota had five other fatal accidents from Saturday to early Monday.

-- A 23-year-old Crystal man was killed Sunday night when he ran a traffic light on his motorcycle and collided with an SUV in Brooklyn Park, the State Patrol said.

Tyron Somaiah was traveling at speeds near 130 mph on I-94 and was being pursued by a state trooper. Somaiah exited the freeway and went into the intersection of Brooklyn Boulevard and Welcome Avenue North and hit a Toyota Rav4 at about 6 p.m., the patrol said. Somaiah was not taken to a hospital, the patrol said. It was not yet known whether he had been drinking.

The driver of the SUV was taken to North Memorial with a minor injury.

-- In Olmsted County, Marvin Jech, 66, of Rochester was killed Saturday morning when his vehicle collided with another.

-- Hours later, a 32-year-old man was killed in another two-vehicle crash in the southern Minnesota county.

-- An Arden Hills woman was fatally struck while walking in a Shoreview intersection Sunday afternoon. She was identified Monday as Lyudmila Nikolayevna Ivanova, 55. The investigation is continuing.

-- At 1 a.m. Monday, a 23-year-old woman was killed when she went off the road and hit a tree in Brooklyn Center.

In 2013, 71 people have been killed on Minnesota roads, compared with 75 at this point in 2012. About 400 people die on Minnesota roads each year, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said.

With spring, more motorcycles and generally more traffic hit the roadways, the State Patrol said. Those vehicles also travel at higher speeds.

"Throughout the winter, every time we have a snowstorm, we talk about this huge volume of crashes we handle -- a few hundred crashes within a few hours," Roeske said. "I think what people need to keep in mind is it's not the winter weather that is the most deadly, it's actually the summertime."